Tu Mi Aiuti, Ti Aiuterò
by BrindyB
Summary: Leonardo always said bravery was not his strong suit. However, when Ezio fails to return from a mission, he realizes that nothing is certain. /on hold/ ):
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, so this used to be the 2nd "role reversal" chapter of my other story, Protezione, but I'm splitting them into separate stories so I may continue this one :) Thanks in advance for reviews ;)**

Leonardo stared at his easel, with a fresh sheet of paper on it. The same commission he'd been thinking about starting, but hadn't actually gotten to.

_He should be back by now, _the artist mused. _What is taking him so long?_

Chuckling to himself, Leo said to the empty workshop, "Oh, I'm sure it's fine. Ezio always comes back."

Just as he spoke those words, there was a knock on Leonardo's door. Thinking it was the assassin, he quickly turned to see who was coming in.

Well, it wasn't Ezio, but...

"Oh, hello, Claudia," the artist said with a respectful bow. "How may I be of service?"

"I was just wondering if you've seen Ezio? I haven't heard from him, and he was supposed to come by and talk to me when he returned," the young woman said. "I know my brother has never been the most punctual, but this is later than even _he _is normally capable of."

"I understand," Leonardo replied. "I have also been wondering. He stopped by right before he left, and I haven't seen or heard from the man since."

Claudia sighed. "Well, he is starting to worry me."

Ezio sat on the cold stone floor, wishing for help to arrive. He'd been there for a while, and was beginning to... get scared, you could call it.

The marks from the whips lashed across his bare chest, stinging him constantly. Time was blurring together, nothing seemed to matter.

_I cannot give up, _Ezio insisted to himself. _I must live. For Madre, for Claudia... For Leonardo. I hope he's not worried about me._

Hearing a click from outside his cell, Ezio looked up. A guard opened the door slightly and looked in with contempt.

"Are you ready to talk yet?" he demanded.

The assassin's silence was the answer.

"Fine. But it's _your _body, not mine," the guard said smoothly, pulling a whip from behind his back.

After a week, Leonardo was tired of waiting. Every night, he waited for the assassin to come home. But he was left alone, every night. His workshop had never felt so big.

With the moon hanging overhead, Leo left his workshop. It was too quiet without Ezio. Even when the man didn't talk, Leonardo needed his company.

While he was out, the artist happened to overhear something. A conversation between two men.

"...and he still wouldn't say a word! I beat the man near to death, and not a word. How are we going to find out where the inventor is, huh? Austere is becoming impatient!"

"Ever think about actually looking? We heard he lived in the city, yes? Once we find him, all we need are his plans. Then the task will be done, nothing more. Got it?"

Beyond that, Leonardo stopped listening. It didn't seem relevant until...

"I swear, the Auditore are not noble. They are cowards! This pezzo di merda is proof."

_Auditore?_ Leonardo repeated in his mind. _They might have Ezio, or know where he is!_

Silently, Leonardo began to follow the two men around the city. Soon enough, they started for an area outside of the crowded city as the sun began to rise. The place where they stopped was, to all appearances, an abandoned two-story stone building. However, they went inside. Leonardo stayed outside and listened for anything that would tell him where Ezio would be.

"Has he said anything?" one asked.

"No," another replied angrily.

"Go give him another talk. He has to break sometime."

Leonardo didn't know what to do. He was scared, then angry, then confused. Then a mix of all three. What was a simple artist like him to do?

Noticing a wagon come up to the building, Leo crouched low so he would not be seen. The driver went inside after tying the horses.

Just like he'd seen Ezio do, the inventor somehow got to the wagon without being noticed. The curious horses nuzzled him and nickered, while Leonardo motioned for them to be quiet. They seemed to obey him, and he was able to look inside the wagon.

Weapons. How convenient.

Now, Leonardo just had to see if there were any he even _knew _how to use...

Ezio felt warm, sticky blood on his lips as it trickled onto his chin. His bones were protruding from his malnourished form, and he could nearly feel himself wasting away.

Inside, the assassin wanted to be rescued. He wanted to be free. But he was also concerned for his friend, Leonardo...

Flashback

Shortly after being taken to the stone building, Ezio was met by guards and who he assumed was their leader.

"Where is the inventor, Leonardo da Vinci?" he ordered.

"Who?" Ezio replied stupidly.

"The inventor! He goes by Leonardo, witnesses claim he is in the city. You assassins know every inch of the city, so we know you have the knowledge. Where is he?"

Ezio was relieved to know that these people didn't know that he and the artist were actually close friends.

And he swore not to say a word.

Leonardo settled for a long sword. It would do, and he was familiar with the weapon. He could wait no longer. Ezio needed his help.

There were two guards that he met right away. Still unsure of the weapon he was wielding, Leonardo swung it in a circle at the guards. Somehow, he hit them both. One seemed to be dead, the other only wounded. Before Leo could think to kill him, the guard scurried away.

Probably to go get his leader. Great.

Rushing about the building, Leonardo searched for his companion. He had to be here.

The first floor brought no help, so the inventor went up the stairs.

Another guard was at the top of the stairs, but Leonardo was getting frustrated now. He thrust the sword forward, lancing it trough the man, bidding a success.

Except for the fact that he couldn't get the sword out of the man's body.

After a bit of tugging and pulling, Leonardo managed to free the sword from his victim's body. Trotting on, he looked and listened for any signs of the man he needed to see, to know he was okay.

Faintly, Leo heard something in the building. He realized it was two more guards, along with their "boss" or whatever. Yelping, the artist ducked into the nearest room and shut the door.

Turning around to see where he was, imagine the artist's shock when he saw another door, a metal cell door. Behind it was Ezio.

Leonardo kept back a sympathetic gasp when he saw the always strong assassin. His hands were tied behind his back, his ankles were bound as well. A piece of cloth was around his eyes.

Without a word, Leo rushed to the door and opened the cell door, which he found unlocked. No use to lock the door on someone so weak he could not move.

Kneeling beside his friend, Leonardo tried to untie the binds on his hands. Ezio whimpered quietly and tried to scoot away.

"No, no, please," he begged.

"Ezio, it's me," Leonardo replied calmly. "It's me, Leonardo, I'm here."

Getting close to Ezio again, Leo pulled the bind off Ezio's hands. Despite his weakened form, the Auditore reached up and felt for Leonardo.

Putting his hands on Ezio's chiseled face, Leo carefully took the blindfold off too. Looking into the bright blue eyes before him, Ezio allowed a small smile to light up his pale skin.

"Can you walk?" Leo wondered as he untied the man's feet.

"I... I don't know..." Ezio murmured.

Leonardo put his friend's arm around his shoulder, allowing the tired assassin to lean against him.

"It is about twenty feet down," Leo said, looking out a window that they may be able to fit through. "Going out the door may be too obvious, and a bit careless."

"Landing on the ground from a second story window? That does not seem careless to you?" Ezio questioned.

"I have an idea," Leonardo stated, seeing a pile of hay nearby. It was not below the window, and they would not be able to land in it. Looking out the window, the artist clicked his tongue and saw that the horses, now unattached from the wagon, came to the wall and looked up with curiosity. Leonardo tried desperately to point to the pile of hay and back to the ground below the window.

Somehow, one of the horses understood. The other followed, and they started pushing hay under the window.

"Since when were you a horse whisperer?" Ezio chuckled.

"Since this morning, apparently."

It didn't take long to get enough hay in the landing area outside the window. The small opening proved a problem for the weak young man, but Leonardo helped him so that he could get onto the windowsill. Taking a deep breath of fresh air at last, the Auditore jumped. Leonardo was right behind him.

To escape without being spotted, Ezio and Leo got up onto the bare backs of the two horses. The artist was not the most graceful, and nearly fell off several times. To this, Ezio had to laugh. It felt good to laugh again, and to see that no one had harmed Leonardo.

Not long after, they were in the city while the sun had risen and people were about. Without issue, the two men ended up back at Leonardo's workshop. The horses were dropped off at a nearby stable, and Leonardo helped his wounded friend walk inside.

Ezio let out a gentle sigh of relief, attempting to not disturb his injuries. He was finally home again.

Home never felt so good.

**A/N: So... yeah... that's it. I had this idea for a while and planned to publish sooner, but I found it hard to write Leonardo's character. At first, he was supposed to be all bad-ass and save Ezio. Then I remembered a distinct line...**

**"Bravery is not my strong suit..."**

**DAMMIT LEONARDO!**

**Hope I did well though! Review? Thankssssss :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Heeeey! Again, this WAS the 3rd chapter of my other story, Protezione, but I've split them into separate fics. Enjoy!**

Once Leonardo actually got inside with Ezio, he realized how warm the man felt. Now safe, the assassin was exhausted and nearly fell over, had Leo not caught him several times.

Somehow, the artist managed to get his friend to his bedroom, carefully letting him sit on the bed.

His head slumping, Ezio felt it hard to stay awake. He heard Leonardo saying something, but hardly comprehended what it was.

"Come on, Ezio," the inventor said gently. "Arms up."

Once his shirt was removed, the Auditore felt relief from the oddly warm fabric. Or maybe it was just him...

Using the soft yet firm hands that only Leonardo seemed to have, he helped Ezio lay back on the bed. When he went to get medicine and something to wash the dry blood off his friend, Leonardo felt the assassin grab his wrist. It was strong, but not a grip that wanted to hurt. It was urgent, and matched a pleading look in Ezio's eyes.

"Don't... leave... please?" he said quietly. Leonardo sat beside him, taking an assassin's hand in his. He gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"No, amico mio, I would not leave you. I am getting medicine for you. I won't be long."

Reluctantly, Ezio let go. Leonardo calmly walked out of the room, then all but ran to get the things he needed so he could return to where he was needed, at his friend's side.

Again, Leo returned to his room and saw Ezio, half-asleep. His face looked like it was finally letting go the torture he'd endured, and he began to relax.

As the warm water soaked into Leonardo's towel, he lifted it and wrung it out. Turning to the assassin, he was saddened by the state his friend was in. Only one week, but what he must have gone through...

His ribs were more visible than before, and he was pale under the bloody skin. The lashing whip marks ran across the front of his chest, but thankfully they seemed to venture nowhere else. There were sharp bruises, likely from being kicked. The protruding ribs also made it easy to see that several were cracked or broken. It was heart breaking to see him so weak.

Shrugging passed his thoughts, Leo began carefully washing the blood from Ezio's skin and wounds. They all seemed to have stopped bleeding, thankfully.

Every now and then while Leonardo cleaned his friend up, Ezio would gasp or squint his eyes from the pain. It pained Leo to see him in this way, but he still managed to put salve on his wounds and gently patched his cuts.

After the wounds were taken care of, Leonardo lifted the assassin up enough for him to drink some water. Satisfied when he had, Ezio seemed to be asleep almost immediately when he lay back onto the pillow.

In the morning, Leonardo decided, he would talk to Ezio. He would talk about what happened and why. For now, he resolved to sit in a chair beside the bed and catch a wink of sleep before morning disturbed him.

"No! Let them go!"

Leonardo was abruptly woken by Ezio's cries, and his wild thrashing about. In shock, Leonardo fell ungracefully from the chair he'd fallen asleep in. Scrambling to his feet once more, Leo stood by the bed.

"Father! No!"

With how much Ezio tossed and turned, he would end up hurting himself more. Foolishly, the inventor tried to take his arms and restrain his movement.

This only panicked the man more. His subconscious mind was suddenly in overdrive, causing him to lash out desperately.

Suddenly, Leonardo found himself flipped and pinned to the bed in the assassin's attempt to ward off the artificial dangers. One calloused hand was holding Leonardo's shoulder down, the other uncomfortably tight on the inventor's throat.

Resisting the urge to panic, Leonardo calmly reached up with his free hand and stroked Ezio's face and ran nimble fingers through the raven hair.

Although it was a struggle, Leonardo managed to say, "Ezio, it's me, amico. Wake up, you're safe."

Leonardo could see Ezio's mind beginning to work, and in a moment he was awake. The assassin's eyes widened, he gasped and backed away, shouting his apologies. Sitting up, Leonardo coughed once as he breathed calmly.

"Leonardo! I'm so sorry!" Ezio said. He suddenly hunched over, grasping his side and crying out in pain. The artist scooted to him, rubbing his back with one hand and putting the other to Ezio's face, gently making the man look at him.

"Ezio, it's okay. It was just a nightmare."

"But I- I-" Ezio couldn't finish what he meant, but he reached up and let his fingertips graze the skin on Leonardo's neck.

"No, you didn't hurt me. I am not made of glass, amico, do not worry." Leonardo now had both hands on Ezio's face. "You need rest, amico mio."

The assassin's shoulders slumped and he started to relax. Leonardo stepped back beside the bed and helped the injured man lay down. Sitting down in his chair again, Leonardo leaned forward to watch Ezio.

Every few minutes, Ezio would start drifting off to sleep, but his hand would twitch or his body flinch, and he would open his eyes again. When this happened a few times, Leonardo brought a hand up and stroked sweaty hair from Ezio's face, or rubbed his forehead. This seemed to silently calm the Auditore, and he knew he was not alone. Soon enough, he was asleep. Leonardo followed, arms crossed as he lay on the edge of the bed.

Ezio woke gently to the light sun pressing on his face. He slowly opened his eyes and immediately looked to his side. Leonardo sat in a chair, using his arms to prop up his head on the edge of the bed.

Smiling at how peaceful the man looked, Ezio ignored any pain or exhaustion in his body. Shutting his eyes again, he decided that he could stay here.

He could pretend that there was no world outside, if only for a little while.

**Since I see you are at the bottom, you may as well gimme a review ;)**


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